If you go to the Vietnam War Memorial, take a couple of minutes to walk across Constitution Ave and see the Albert Einstein memorial, it is really quite amazing. If it is raining one day go to the Building Museum, wait for a docent to take you on a tour.

We were at the Korean War Memorial and there was a heavy rain. It seemed like only a group of Orientals had umbrellas that we might have ducked under except that my older brother is around 6' 4" and I am 6' 1". My sister-in-law might have fit under some of these umbrellas carried by often 5' 4" or so Oriental tourists but we were taller than almost all of the other immediate tourists.

This is all making me want to go back. Sigh. So many places; so little time!

That's true. You would have to live there and not be so prominent that you mess up the museums' attendance by going to the attraction.

I got a very useful AAA State book on DC and Maryland at the AAA office in Sumter Landing before the trip.

National Museum of the American Indian.
 

This is one of the newer museums-- Home Page | National Museum of the American Indian

I worked in Washington, DC for 26 years and lived in northern Virginia. There are so many places to see in DC: the Capitol, the Capitol Visitor Center, Arlington Cemetery, the WWII Memorial is beautiful, the Kennedy Center, the Zoo, the Smithsonian, the Holocaust Museum, National Cathedral, the Catholic Church (can't remember the name), the White House and of course, all the monuments. I believe they are all still free. They are probably not doing the Capitol Dome tours now because there is major construction on the Capitol Dome; but, a Member of Congress can take you to the top of the dome. I've been there many times and its a beautiful view of the city.

I've been retired for a while but you used to be able to get White House tour passes from your Member of Congress. You need to call early because each Member only gets 10 tickets a week.

There are many places to see in northern Virginia too. Arlington Cemetery, the Lee Mansion, Iwo Jima, the Pentagon, the Air Force Memorial and the 911 Memorial at the Pentagon to name a few. My favorite is Mt. Vernon (the home of George Washington) but that is about 20 miles out of town.

The best way to see DC is by the blue tour buses. Traffic is a lot better in the summer because all of the colleges are out but it is not easy to park in DC. Also, the Metro system is wonderful.

Have a wonderful time if you go to DC!! I wish I was going with you!

I did not know you could visit the Pentagon? We saw a group of military get off the Metro Rail on our way to the National Mall area. But, I had not thought we could follow them to yet more attractions. None looked like brass IMHO except for one of them. http://dctransitguide.com/m/MetroMap/

We did drive by Mt. Vernon but there were about 30 tours buses there and a school bus. I found out later there was some kind of DC system wide educational program there that day.

Pentagon Tours and Memorial | Washington Headquarters Services

I did find this and this. http://www.whs.mil/our-services/visi...s-and-memorial

150th Anniversary of the Grand Review of the Armies.
 

https://www.grandreviewparade.org/

We saw a lot of people dressed about in costumes in DC with a portion of the street blocked off and were wondering if a movie was being filmed. My sister-in-law talked to two women and a man in a Zouave uniform and they said that they were part of the Grand Review Victory Parade's 150th Anniversary.

Search Result Details - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian

I had to look at the artists' various descriptions of their art to understand the stuff at the Hirshhorn. That's the DC Museum on Modern Art. I try to dredge up my memories of The Shock of the New in understanding modern art. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmHLIVsx658